Dad who crippled his baby son is spared from time behind bars

A frustrated dad broke the leg of his 11-week old baby son after losing his temper because the child “would not settle”.

Derby Crown Court heard on Thursday, July 26, how the baby was also found to have suffered a broken rib from an earlier incident at the hands of the father after the child was fully examined at hospital.

Judge Jonathan Bennett refused to lift reporting restrictions because he felt the baby’s identity should remain anonymous which indirectly allowed the defendant to remain anonymous despite his appalling crimes,

But the judge told the defendant, of Shirebrook, that people reading what happened would be “absolutely horrified by your actions”.

Judge Bennett said to him: “Anyone that did not know the background to this would be absolutely horrified by your actions.

“This is a defenceless, immobile, young baby. You appear to have lost your temper, your partner was only away for a couple of minutes.

“And in that short time you caused these injuries because you were frustrated.

“It is clear to me from your pre-sentence report that you are quite immature and selfish in your outlook.

“This is going to live with you for years to come and dramatically affect your relationship with your son.

“But you have no previous convictions and your best piece of mitigation is that you admitted this offence to the nurse, your partner and the police.”

Sarah Slater, prosecuting, said the broken leg was inflicted on November 26, last year, at the home of the baby’s father’s parents in Derbyshire.

She added: “The mother had left the boy alone with its father, this defendant, for just a couple of minutes and when she returned the baby was crying.

“She tried to calm him down but could not and so ultimately they ended up at accident and emergency in hospital.